When Nets general manager Billy King traded for Deron Williams two years ago, he proudly proclaimed he had the best point guard in the NBA. The Nets happily ponied up nearly $100 million dollars to sign Williams to a five-year max contract, ensuring he would be the face of the franchise as it moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn.

They did that thinking they would be coming to Brooklyn with the league’s No. 1 point guard leading their team. Instead, Williams has been disappointing this season, playing below the level of which both he and the Nets think he’s capable as he has dealt with a variety of injuries.

But even as Williams missed last night’s game in order to remain in New York and receive platelet rich plasma treatment to relieve inflammation in the joint linings of both his ankles, King said he still believes his point guard can regain his place among the league’s elite floor generals.

“This year he’s not having the best year, but I do [believe he can regain his form],” King said before the Nets beat the Pacers, 89-84 in overtime last night. “I’ve seen it. He’s done it.

Perhaps, but Williams hasn’t done it this year. After receiving a cortisone shot to relieve inflammation in his left ankle during training camp, he has noticeably lacked the lift and explosion to be the player he had been in the past, including last year with the Nets when he averaged 21 points and 8.7 assists per game while playing on a team with very little talent around him.

After the Nets committed over $330 million in future contracts to surround Williams with the necessary talent to become a contender in the Eastern Conference, it was expected he would take his game to another level, and become the player he was in Utah, when he and Chris Paul had a legitimate argument as to which was the league’s best point guard.